Sewing cabinet



April 18, 1950 c. B. wlLHolTE ET A1. 2,504,479

SEWING CABINET c. B. wlLHolTE ErAL 2,504,479

SEWING CABINET April 18, 1950 Filed Aug. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. C/Mr/es 5. l/V//oz'ze Fran/x 5km/ds ATTCI R N EYS Patented Apr. 18, 1950 SEWING CABINET Charles B. Wilhoite and Frank R. Shields, Detroit, Mich.

Application August 15, 1946, Serial No. 690,813

1 Claim. l

Our present invention relates to an improved sewing cabinet and more particularly to the mechanism employed for opening and supporting the open drawers.

In a sewing cabinet embodying our invention the structure when closed has the appearance of an ornamental piece of furniture and pleasing design. while the multiple drawers may be opened with facility and ease in a single operation for each tier of drawers, the contents of the drawers will be completely visible.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated one complete example of the physical ernbodiment of our invention according to the best mode we have this far devised but it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made in the exemplified structure within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings- Figure l is a side elevational view of the cabinet embodying our invention showing one tier of drawers open.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the cabinet.

Figure 3 is a partial side elevational view in detail showing the drawers in extended position.

Figure 4 is a partial top plan view of the drawers open.V

Figure 5 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the drawers and levers in retracted position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like characters indicate like parts, we have 'illustrated the cabinet of our invention supported upon the feet I and the pedesal 2.

Upon the pedestal 2 wehave provided a base box 3 having spaced interior end walls 4, a front 5 and rear wall 6. suitably attached to the basel box are provided upright posts I2 and a connecting handle I4.

Upon the base box 3 we have mounted an intermediate drawer kIIi having spaced interior end walls I1, and side walls Ilia and I8b. \The top drawer I8 is mounted upon the intermediate drawer I6 and is fashioned with spaced interior end walls I8. and side walls I8a and I8b. A lid or cover from the top drawer is illustrated at 22 hinged to the drawer at 24 and fashioned with a knob 26. The handle 28 is provided for opening the tier of drawers while the knob is provided i'or lifting the lid 22 only.

The base box and the upper drawers are connected by a series of levers or linkage by means of which the drawers may simultaneously` be opened and supported in open position.

The lever 28 is pivoted at 38 on the base box and at 32 on the intermediate drawer. The lever 34 is pivoted at 86 on the base 'box and at 38 on the upper drawer, and this link or lever is fulcrumed at 40 on the intermediate drawer. The lever 42 is pivoted at 44 on the intermediate drawer and at 46 on'the upper drawer.

It Will be noted that the levers 28 and 42 are formed with elbows 48 and 48 respectively while the lever 34 is formed with opposite elbows 50 and 5I thereon. The smaller levers are of identical length and are pivoted on the upper and base drawer with the main portions of the levers parallel. The main lever 34 is also pivoted to the drawers in parallel relation with the smaller levers and is located therebetween.

As the top drawer I8 is pulled laterally by the handle 28 all of the levers rotate on their respective pivots and the drawers in their movement describe arcs until the drawers come to rest in extended position, the elbow 48 supporting the end wall I6b; the elbow 5U resting on the end wall 5; the elbow 5I supporting end wall |812; and the elbow 48 resting on end wall I6a. Thus in extended position, the drawers are self-supported by cantilever effect and it will be :noted that in extended position the main portion ofthe three levers are in a substantially straight line running upwardly at an angle from the innermost pivot 30 on the base box.

Thus the single simple motion of pulling laterally on the handle 28 will open all of the drawers of the tier and make the contents readily visible and accessible.

Pushing on the handle 20 will arc the drawers back to retracted position where the drawers rest neatly one upon the other.

All of the levers are concealed within the -spaced walls of the drawers and are only visible when the drawers are in extended position, so that the drawers when closed give the cabinet a finished and neat appearance.

Having thus fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a. folding drawer cabinet, the combination which comprises a rectangular shaped base box positioned on a pedestal and having a base with side walls and double end walls and having an open upper end, each of said end walls of the base box including spaced panels thereby providing lever operating areas within the walls. an intermediate drawer also having a base with side walls and double end walls and having an open upper end, each of said end walls of the intermediate 3 drawer also including spaced panels providing lever operating areas within the walls, an upper drawer also having a base with side walls and double end walls and having an open upper end, each of said end walls of the upper drawer also including spaced panels providing lever operating areas within the walls, a cover hinged to a wall of the upper drawer, a pair of main levers positioned in the lever operating areas in the double end walls of the drawers and base box connected at points intermediate of the ends thereof to points intermediate of the ends of the said end walls of the intermediate drawer and with the ends thereof pivotally connected to the inner part of the upper drawer and outer part of the said base box at points spaced from the` side walls of the drawer and box, the intermediate portions of said main levers being diagonally positioned and end sections thereof being positioned parallel to upper and lower surfaces of the drawers and base box with the drawers nested upon the said base box whereby with the drawers in the open position the intersecting points between the inner and outer parallel ends and diagonally positioned intermediate parts engage the upper edge of the base box and lower edge of the upper section, respectively, outer and inner end levers also positioned in the lever areas between the double end walls of the base box and drawers, with one end of each of said outer and inner end levers pivotally connected to the said intermediate drawer at points spaced from the side walls thereof and in a horizontal plane extended through the pivot points of the main levers on the ends of the intermediate drawer, the other end of each of the outer end levers being pivotally connected to the ends of the upper drawer at points intermediate of the sides thereof and the other 4 end of each of the inner end levers being pivotally connected to the adjoining end of the said base box at a point spaced from the end of each of the end walls thereof a distance equal to one half of the width of the drawer, said outer end levers having diagonally disposed inner ends positioned parallel to the outer ends of the said main levers with the drawers extended and straight outer end sections positioned parallel to the intermediate sections of the main levers with the drawers nested, said inner end levers having diagonally disposed outer ends positioned parallel to the inner ends of the said main levers with the drawers extended and straight inner end sections positioned parallel to the intermediate sections of the main levers with the drawers nested, and whereby the intersections of the diagonally disposed and straight sections of the outer end levers rest upon the outer side wall of the intermediate section with the drawers extended and the intersection of the diagonally disposed and straight sections of the inner end levers bear against the under edge of the inner side wall of the intermediate section with the drawers extended.

CHARLES B. WILHOITE. FRANK R. SHIELDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date' L'664,363 Upham Dec. 18, 1900 1,675,484 Coe July 3, 1928 2,203,008 Bauman June 4, 1940 

